Chapter 265: Speed is the Essence of Warfare (Dear Readers, End-of-Month Moon Ticket Request!)

"Hey!"

Zhang Su's expression tightened; since his vision had improved, he hadn't faced a challenge in a long time, and this sudden subtitle caught him completely off guard—and thrilled him.

And this one was especially interesting: Chen Hanzhou stood just a meter ahead, leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette while studying a mechanical prosthesis, utterly motionless now, even the smoke frozen midair into peculiar shapes, incredibly strange.

Zhang Su reached out to touch Chen Hanzhou, but an invisible air wall blocked him—he couldn't make contact—so he quickly pulled his thoughts back and studied the options.

"Submission? What the hell is that? Impossible... Annihilation? Hmm..."

Deep down, Zhang Su didn't want to commit extermination; for instance, during his earlier battle with the North Tower Camp group, he'd never slaughtered the elderly, weak, women, or children once they posed no threat—unless a danger was sensed, then he'd show no mercy.

These days were no longer the early days of the disaster, when every step felt like walking on thin ice; now he was the leader of a faction, and growth required manpower—no matter how elite his people were, they'd still be outmatched against major powers without sufficient numbers.

The Green Dragon Corps was uniquely situated: not only did it contain a significant number of elderly, weak, women, and children, but it also housed the scientific department he'd been longing for! According to Xin Qi's account, the scientific department wasn't just developing zombie warfare applications—it also included medical divisions, both of which Tianma Island currently lacked.

Even without concrete execution, he was certain conquering the logistics and scientific departments wouldn't be too hard—but the core members and combat units of the Green Dragon Corps? Those wouldn't be easy to subdue!

"Does partial conquest count as conquest?"

Zhang Su was deeply uncertain, but he had no time to waste; watching the countdown dwindle to just over ten seconds, he made his decision.

"A, Conquest!"

Though difficult, it wasn't impossible; the apocalypse was full of challenges, people's hearts were uncertain, and many things were unpredictable—take the gamble! 【Conquest ratio of Green Dragon Corps: A, 80%, B, 60%, C, 40%】

"Huh?" Zhang Su's eyes lit up—the second option directly answered his earlier doubt! "According to Xin Qi's earlier account, the Green Dragon Corps' core members numbered no more than twenty-some, less than ten percent—so the best outcome could be eighty percent!"

"But... conquering a faction can't be done with just words; there'll inevitably be conflict with their combat units—what if those people refuse to compromise?"

Zhang Su had envisioned all this under the assumption of victory—if he failed, none of it mattered, so there was no point considering alternatives.

After much deliberation, Zhang Su ultimately decided that securing sixty percent of the Green Dragon Corps would be more than satisfactory, so he said: "B!"

【Estimated completion time: A, 10 days, B, 30 days, C, 80 days】

"Heh... Easy pickings!" Zhang Su grinned at the options; in his view, resolving the Green Dragon Corps was urgent—the longer he waited, the more complications would arise.

"A, ten days!"

As he made his choice, he silently vowed: seize the camp within ten days! 【Challenge generated: Conquer sixty percent of the Green Dragon Corps within ten days, Difficulty: A, Timer started: 239: 9: 9, 0/342】

"Pity... just missed three A's. I wonder what kind of challenge three A's would be... Hmm? That last number..."

"No way, this is too precise—the Green Dragon Corps' total strength is displayed outright! Haha... wait, this number differs from what Xin Qi said... probably subtracted the twenty-seven who just died. Let me calculate... three sixes are eighteen, four sixes are twenty-four... so I only need over two hundred and five to defect and complete the mission?"

"Hmm... do the dead count toward the total?"

"Boss, you're out? How'd it go? Those three guys were real quiet—I didn't hear a peep from inside."

While Zhang Su was still pondering the challenge, Chen Hanzhou noticed him leaving the room and turned to ask.

"They were obedient even facing death—go notify everyone to gather at Little Luck Restaurant!"

Chen Hanzhou's expression turned serious; a meeting at this hour meant something critical—he nodded, then used his radio to alert everyone while heading downstairs.

Five minutes later, all uninjured personnel assembled in the restaurant—this had become the unofficial meeting hall by long-standing custom.

"Tonight's battle was a great success, but I'm sorry to say we have no time to rest. According to what I just learned, the Green Dragon Corps now knows our exact location. Since our grain-collecting teams haven't returned, they'll send people south to investigate within the next two days—we must act before then." Zhang Su looked around, then relayed what he'd learned from Xin Qi about the Green Dragon Corps for everyone's assessment.

"So according to that kid, they'll send one or two squads? Easy!" Lu Yu bo spoke first. "If they dare show up, we'll kill them again just like tonight!"

"Exactly! Lu's suggestion is spot-on! Scare them so bad they'll know we're not soft targets!" Zhao De zhu immediately agreed.

"Peace is won by fighting, not begging!"

Others quickly followed, agreeing that while Lu Yu bo's method was crude, it was viable.

The great victory had given Tianma Island's people unprecedented confidence.

Yu Wen, however, frowned and shook his head. "Forgive me for dousing your enthusiasm—I think Lu's suggestion is unwise."

Everyone turned to look at Yu Wen, his face weary.

Yu Wen knew everyone was waiting—he adjusted his glasses. "The Green Dragon Corps is large, wealthy, and populous—it can't possibly be filled with useless fools, or it never would've grown this strong!"

"Repeating our tactics isn't impossible, but it'll cost us far more dearly. My suggestion is..."

Here, Yu Wen paused, then looked squarely at Zhang Su and said solemnly: "Mr. Zhang, speed is the essence of warfare!"

Zhang Su's eyes lit up; upon learning the Green Dragon Corps would send scouts, his first thought had been to attack directly—but his companions had just fought a battle and were exhausted; a long march might lower morale.

He hadn't expected Yu Wen to think exactly as he did! "Professor Yu has voiced my own idea!"

Zhang Su immediately took over. He stood up. "The Green Dragon Corps believes it rules the Qingxian region, plundering nearby survivor camps for supplies—they never expected all three squads to be wiped out!"

"Before their headquarters sends investigators, we'll disguise ourselves as their grain-collecting team, infiltrate their camp, and catch them completely off guard!"

The group's expressions turned bewildered, as if their brains had shrunk; some even broke out in goosebumps.

What kind of move was this? Reckless beyond belief...

"B-Boss, you're planning to chase our victory all the way to the Green Dragon Corps' headquarters?"

Wu Lue stammered, utterly incredulous.

Others stared at Zhang Su in confusion; only a handful wore serious expressions.

To most, passive defense was the posture of the weaker side; Tianma Island was inferior to the Green Dragon Corps in manpower and weapons—it should proceed cautiously.

Attacking their stronghold seemed far too aggressive.

Zhang Su nodded. "Correct. We can't wait to be attacked. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We'll take their grain-collecting vehicles, bring the captives, bring Zero Zero Three—let them taste their own bitter brew!"

"Holy shit!" Zhao De zhu shouted. "Big bro, we can also bring a bunch of petrified-skin zombies! Set them on fire—turn their own weapon against them, hahaha!"

"Eradicate the threat completely! Let's do it, Boss—when do we leave?"

Wang Xin clenched his fists and asked.

The group's morale surged, their excitement palpable.

(End of chapter)